Sat Feb 22 16:57:50 UTC 2025: ## Odissi Dance Pioneer Mayadhar Raut Passes Away at 92
**New Delhi, February 22, 2025** – Renowned Odissi dancer and Padma Shri awardee Mayadhar Raut passed away peacefully at his Delhi home on Saturday at the age of 92. His son, Manoj Raut, confirmed that he died of old age after enjoying breakfast with his family. No illness preceded his death.
Considered the “Father of Odissi dance,” Raut played a pivotal role in the revival and formalization of the dance form in the 1950s. His journey began at age seven with Gotipua dance, a precursor to Odissi. He became the first to present Gotipua on stage in 1944. Later, he dedicated his life to codifying and restructuring Odissi, establishing it as a classical dance form rooted in shastra (ancient texts).
A founding member of Kala Vikas Kendra in Cuttack (the first Odissi dance institute in India), and the Jayantika Association, Raut significantly contributed to the dance form’s vocabulary and structure, introducing concepts like ‘Sanchari Bhava’, ‘Mudra Viniyoga’, and ‘Rasa Theory’. He was also the first guru to choreograph Gitagovinda Ashtapadis with Shringara Rasa. His performance of Gitagovinda even marked the inauguration of Delhi’s Kamani Auditorium in 1971. He led the Odissi department at Shriram Bharatiya Kala Kendra from 1970 to 1995.
Among his many accolades are the Orissa Sangeet Natak Akademi Award, the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award, the Rajeev Gandhi Sadbhavana Award, and the Tagore Akademi Ratna. His legacy continues through his disciples, including prominent Odissi dancers Ramani Ranjan Jena, Aloka Panikar, and Geeta Mahalik, as well as his daughter, Madhumita Raut, also an Odissi dancer. His last rites will be performed at the Lodhi Road crematorium. He is survived by his children and grandchildren.
First Piper 